Seems like I'm going to have a couple of extra days in Dusseldorf next week before I go to Gamescom, so I was wondering if you lovely people know something interesting to do/visit around there? Dusseldorf, Koln, Dortmund, I'll have a car so I'm pretty flexible. We'll probably be driving to Amsterdam as well! I already have Phantasialand on my to-do list Actually I've been to Koln a couple of time, so I know Koln cathedral... I figured it doesn't hurt to ask in case you know something interesting off-road/tourist destination Thanks in advance!

If you are one of those lovely people who like to collect original artwork from scribblers and scribblenauts such as myself hit me with an e-mail ( saharaam80[at]gmail.com ) to get a detailed A4 pencil drawing for 10£ (A4 250 gsm white paper; busty-waistup-kneeup or something like that).

I'd rather take my time and pay attention to detail and bring it with me for you to pick up at my booth than draw tons of pictures very fast and very loud over one weekend.

For people who are serious about drawing and want to make career in art! And for me to stop getting questions on how to practice, or how do you get better

Are you stuck and don't know how to carry on making great art?

You just want to draw better?

If an answer to any of these questions is 'yes' then you might find this interesting...

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Since the only thing I ever acknowledged myself good at is getting better I decided to share a couple of tricks.

I truly believe it works in every single case.

It's true. You can get out now or shut up and listen and get better.

(oh and do I need to mention that you need to draw a lot to get better?

I didn't draw a lot and still got better because I followed the steps listed below. But yeah, may not work without drawing a lot...)

Step 1. Honesty.

Be aware of your own limitations. They're usually bigger than you really think, despite what people say. I won't be talking about false honesty in this article.

Stop lying to yourself, for heaven's sake.

If you are not doing/drawing something, frankly, it's because you can't. Not because you are afraid to do it. It's connected in a way, but it only comes down in being or not being able to draw something.

To get better you need to become really honest with your art.

Like, in my case; I draw something, which is still so much better than most of images out there, but when I comment that I don't like it and it sucks it means that I really really think that it does. I don't care what other people think in such case (I mean I always do, I wouldn't share it if I didn't care, really, but it's not this kind of 'caring'...)

I have my own standards. I browse lots of art, go to galleries and art exhibitions and I see now there's very very few people in the world who know their shit. I wanna be those people, but the stuff I draw most of the time? It's not even half way there.

I'm just being honest with myself, I don't need people telling me 'aww it's alright I wish I could draw like you'. I mean, it's sweet, and I love you guys, it's cool if you wanna draw like that, but I don't, end of story. It's kind of okay, I'm kind of on the right path, but it's not that great.

(this is an honest explanation of my approach, please don't be offended!)

If you are honest with yourself it will help you realize your goals. What you can, and what you cannot do. What you cannot do now, and what you will become able to do, in a month, half a year, 5 years from now, if you apply the following to your workflow.

Step 2. Feedback. The most important one.

This is the ultimate trick.

You know what? 99% of people don't get it.

You wanna be the 1% that do, of course.

I've had a couple of people that I worked with in my life. I drew something and they told me what's wrong with the picture. I usually returned the favor. If you don't have that somebody you can go to for feedback, join a couple of forums!

I did... there's plenty of people willing to help you out when you show them you respect their comments. Be prepared though. I've had a couple of bruises on my heart because somebody stepped on the picture I thought looked ok, set it on fire and flushed in the toilet But I've never let my shit fall apart.

But! The good thing about feedback is, the person you ask doesn't even have to be an artist. My mother is a perfect feedbacker, for instance. Nothing ever works for her, it's amazing. She rips my work to bits and pieces all the time.

But you don't have to ALWAYS listen to the feedback, you need to be able to defend your opinion. It's up to you what's right in your picture.

Okay, wait, if you are a beginner then it'd be better if you listen to every piece of feedback you get and be thankful to heavens for even getting it.

Listen.

To.

What.

People.

Say.

Even if you don't like it, and feel like getting into a fight with them! If you share your pictures with the internet it means that you want them to be looked at! So it's your goddamn business to listen to how people feel about them...

I started from random comments at dA, like 'this hand looks weird', or 'his torso looks like banana'. I never made the same mistake twice, ever. I literally made lists of my weak points to pay attention to!

I don't get this kind of comments anymore, because there's no need for them.

But I still go to others for feedback, I ask people I trust. Often I randomly ask people I'm talking to over Skype to tell me if they think something's off in the picture (but I need to know the person well, some people are less... inquisitive and thorough than others.)

Most of industry pros do that, it's normal.

You won't get ANYWHERE without it. It's normal that you don't see certain mistakes, you need someone with a fresh eye. It's so much faster to have your mistakes pointed out in your face the moment you're done, than let the picture rest until you can see it with fresh eye...

'I just draw stuff however I want and upload it, I don't give a damn what others think, this is my art/style/whatevs'

Non-observers irk me, because it's like, come on, what are you even drawing for. Non-observers doodle for fun on the marigins of their notebooks.

You know how easily you can define what kind of artist I'm looking at?

I'll tell you - very easy. A nanosecond. It's not even funny.

And it has nothing to do with the level of said artist (although this skill comes with time, but many people either have it or not).

There's a couple of elements that most of artist just keep getting wrong. Like hairline. Have you ever noticed how hair grows from your forhead and temples? How the hairline gets closer to the eyebrows? How easy it is to define the age of the character you draw with receding hairline? No? Yes? Are you sure? Go back to step 2, and show your pics to somebody. Also, like elbows (correctly drawn elbows are so hard to come by these days). Like metal. And so on.

I'm not even mentioning hands, because they're on a whole new level of difficulty. But if you're observant enough you should get them right...

That's how when I had a break from drawing - even when it lasted 6 months - I didn't really get worse. I never stop looking at stuff that surrounds me. Not drawing means only loosing fluent brain-to-hand communication, but a couple of days and I'm back on track.

Observation is crucial for concept artists. Concept artist needs to know how things work to be able to create something fresh.

Did I mention that observers are rare.

I believe that everybody can become one though, but first you need to be honest with yourself (step 1) and answer a question: how do I look at things?

(It was also my trick, back in the days, take the hardest thing to draw and keep drawing it until you feel it, and it becomes your favorite. Use it as a mean of expression.)

Step 4. Reference.

Now, when you learned to see things through, not only look at them (kidding, it takes time, so be patient!), you can start using reference.

Reference.

That's the word.

It's a blessing, somebody who invented reference should get a Nobel prize.

No, wait... since the beginning of the world or the fine art as we know it at least, artist were basically painting what they see. Used reference, ripped off whatever surrounded them.

Rubens, Alphone Mucha, Norman Rockwell, so why can't you? Trust me, if you paint something with 100% understanding of what you see, they will teach about you in (art) schools. Reference is your friend.

If you are too lazy to look for it... it's okay, drawing is always fun.

You won't get anywhere without reference. If laziness is the case, then you need to go back to step 1. and answer the question: how much are you set on artistic career?

Harsh words, but I met many people who've been working ten times as hard as me or you.

That's all...

But there's an additional step!

Study of the masters.

Of course you can figure out stuff by yourself, but trust me, none of the artist you look up to really do.

Why not look at others' work and check out what looks nice? What works for painting?

Of course you cannot really copy somebody and call it your own work. Incorporate what you learn from studies into your own work. Nobody will give a damn where you learned this kind of strokes if the painting looks neat, everybody will just love it. It's all about results.

You won't really make much out of it if you're not observant (step 3), so yeah.

None of these steps is actually drawing, cause I believe progress is all about approach.

Now if you start drawing while applying these steps, you'll get better easily, I tell you. If not, then something went wrong. Maybe you're not really honest with yourself.

Always try to draw new stuff, repetition kills progress by a long shot. It's better to draw new stuff with same principles in mind, than drawing same things over and over again.

It may sound harsh, and all, but that's how it really is, if you want to make great changes to your art. I know it's just not for everybody. As I mentioned before this is only for consideration for people who want to make career in art.

It's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

My work has been chosen for this year's EXPOSÉ. For a good start. It's a huge honor to be listed among the best artists out there.

But holy shit. You know what sucks about aiming high - the neverending fear that after all you won't meet the standards (=my life)

Thank you all guys for book suggestions! You're amazing! I'll be slowly going through all the comments making a list which I might share when done. Thank you so much! Can't wait for summer break now haha.

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i finally got around to making website~ just a directory leading to my blog though. for now!

What are your favorite fantasy books? I'm looking for something to read (that I haven't already, and I don't have that much time to read stuff anymore - I have about 100 books to read for uni anyway...orz)Fantasy, sci-fi, urban fantasy, anything not all that realistic~ Just tell me what you find worth reading! Pretty please

Wahhh, I don't know what to write as usual!! I just don't want to wake up and realize I haven't written anything for 2 years or something... : )I don't know what happened to my previous journal (I wrote it about a month ago), I couldn't see it and then it just disappeared, I'm extremely sorry to all who commented and I didn't reply Sorry!

Me and Anika got ourselves a dealer's table at MCM London Expo in May, so we won't be in the Artist Alley after all! (we had our flight and hotel booked beforehand so when we learned that all tables are booked out we panicked haha)

Sorry for the lack of updates even though I'm far from idle as of late... But I won't be able to share what I do at work for another couple of months/a year maybe until the games are out. But I'm doing some concept art/environment designs in my free time for clients and I'm working on a graphic novel, so stay tuned! I'm excited to share what I learn every day~ I think it's too soon for me to work in game developement, I make so many rookie mistakes, but I'm happy they took me in despite my lack of experience (they pay very well too, so I'll finally have the money to go to Dubai!) This year is going to be nicee~

I'm terrified at a mere thought of the academics year end and finals though... I will probably have to take leave from life in June to pass all the exams (Japanese literature, oh joy!)

Hope you are all well, guys~ I really miss being more active here, but I don't have much time nor motivation to finish my personal work. dA (that is you) is what shaped me as an artist, and I won't ever forget that <3Cheers!

Anyways, very sorry for being dead over here, I've been busy on so many levels, school, giving lectures, conventions, signed a couple contracts this year as a freelance artist, all that is taking away pretty much every little free while i have left... but i like being busy : )

I'm coming down to London for the MCM once again this year (October 26-28th, that's next weekend!) Hope to see you there ^^ My banner didn't fit in my suitcase though :c charms of living in a place from where getting anywhere involves getting on a damn plane.

I'm gonna have some posters (including some 1000+ yrs old manga stuff, for the last time), postcards, keyrings and stuff with me, also will be doing commissions... Please stop by to chat! : )

Here's where we're going to be located!

It's alright if you don't notice me among all the other awesome people that I'm going to be surrounded with, though :I

so yeah like for real lineup of osom :I i don't even T_Tcan't wait to meet you guys there

warning: some pretty boring rambling ahead It's been exactly a year since my first day in school in a new country. It felt so neverending while it lasted, and I'd love to say that it's over now, that everything's back to normal but... it's not. Did you ever experienced something that changed you entirely, that nothing could ever go back to the way it was before? Well I have that feeling.I've been to places I never dreamt I'd visit, but still it was quite to be expected. What I definitely did not expect is to meet all those amazing people. They may not know that, but I learned a lot from them. I learned to take my time with things. I learned a new language. I learned the boundaries of my capabilities. The distance that is between me and my friends taught me to value every single moment spent together. For that I can never be thankful enough. I could go into details now, share my experiences, but nothing can ever summarize what quite happened. I tried giving a true counting of what I've seen and done. I did not presume to understand all the aspects of that so very different culture and environment. But I got used to it much more easily than I thought (and now I just wait for the moment when I can go back, haha; THE FOOD).I know I am grateful to have partaken in all this. Even if for a moment. But it's not quite over yet. I still have some places to go to OTL I'm very curious where I'll settle in the end and I'm looking forward to that moment. All that luggage that waits to be unpacked! hahaAnyways, I think all that can be easily noticed through my art somehow... First a huge break, than stuff that was quite a turnaround from what I liked to draw before, and it goes on haha Again, I got to talk to people I really admire as an artist (and I'm honored to be able to call them my friends) and they helped me figure things out. It was a good change. I don't know, maybe I was meant to follow that path sooner or later... Thanks to all those people who bear with me no matter what and how I draw. It means a lot to me!

Oh, and got a new phone so I can use Instagram! I'm saharaam there too~

In a couple of hours I'm getting on the bus and start my 2-month vacation packed with travelling. I won't spend more than 4 days in one place, so submitting stuff up here is going to be put on hold. I'm most excited about going to Shaolin among others

I was thinking about giving something back to the community, since I get tremendous support every time I check deviantart and I'm very thankful for that ;^; Just feel like I wasn't giving back to the community even 1/10 as much as I get... I'll be working on a tutorial or two as soon as I get back (just don't know what is the thing you'd like to see the most)...but in the meantime, the first person who screenshots my 500,000 pvs kiriban and sends it to me in a note will get something from me, probably a simple drawing of choice. And I mean, simple, I'm already sleep deprived haha~

ImagineFX FeatureHello darlings, just writing to let you know that you might wanna grab the latest IFX issue 85 (August 2012) as it has my feature there... On one hand i still don't think I'm worthy, on the other hand I'm super happy that IFX guys decided they wanted me there... those images are pretty old by now haha~

Won the Lost Kids cover contest this piece brought me the first prize in FelipeCagno's The Lost Kids cover contest. Woah really didn't see that coming!! So honored ;_;

Hope you are all ok <3 Fighting!I'll post commission information soon if anyone is interested, you can read about it at my blog: sinbrows.tumblr.com/post/26198…

So. Many. Feelings. Mygosh, I'd never thought a lawsuit drama can be so action... I wasn't so hooked on non-sitcom tv show ever since SPN was still great and kicking (long looong time ago). Please please never take it down!

I'll go back to rewatching 1st season (for like, 4th time) now, as I think I've memorized the 2x01 well enough.

Anime Festival Asia for the first time coming down to Kuala Lumpur this weekend, 9-10th June. www.animefestival.my/It also happens to be MY first time there. Will be sharing table with my wonderful Toonikun. EXCITE. Will be selling prints and stuff.So very busy this week. I like busy.